Sacred Khe Rong Temple

Khe Rong Temple.

According to the book “Thanh Hoa Village Names”, volume 1: “Khe Rong Temple was built during the Later Le Dynasty (late 15th century), and is a place to worship the Mother Goddess. The Mother Goddess worship at Khe Rong Temple is the Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces.

The worship system in the temple includes: Mau Thuong Thien, Mau Thoai, Mau Thuong Ngan. In addition, there is also a person with the title Duc Ong. Legend has it that in the final years of the resistance war against the Ming invaders, according to Nguyen Chich's plan, Binh Dinh King Le Loi marched into Nghe An to establish a military base to advance to the North to wipe out the Ming army. When entering Nghe An, the insurgents under the direct command of Binh Dinh King Le Loi continuously won great victories.

At Da Cang village (now Van Hoa commune, Nong Cong district), Le Loi directly commanded the capture of Da Cang citadel, killed more than a thousand enemies and forced them to retreat to Tay Do (Vinh Loc). On the way of retreat, among the remnants of the army, there was a commander who organized forces to turn back and surround Le Loi's insurgent army. In a passive position, the insurgent army and Le Loi found a way to retreat to the Southwest. When King Le fled to Ong Quan lake (now Ben Sung town, Nhu Thanh district), there was a fisherman who disguised himself as a king and was captured by the Ming army. Because they mistook him for the commander of the insurgent army, the Ming army killed him on the spot. Thanks to this act of sacrifice, Binh Dinh King Le Loi and the insurgent army escaped the enemy's siege. From then on, the insurgent army entered Nghe An and continuously won great victories. When the country was free of enemies, Binh Dinh King Le Loi ascended the throne and named the reign Thuan Thien. Remembering the merit of the person who saved him, the king built a temple to worship Duc Ong at the lake and named it Ong Quan Lake (in Hai Ninh ward, Ben Sung town today). According to legend, Khe Rong Temple was formerly a large-scale architectural work. However, through the vicissitudes of time and wars, there was a time when Khe Rong Temple only had traces of the old architectural work such as stone pillars, pedestals, stone altars...

Head of the Department of Culture, Science and Information of Nhu Thanh district, Dinh Xuan Thang, said: "With its cultural and historical values, in 1995, Khe Rong temple was recognized by the Department of Culture - Information (now the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) as a provincial historical and cultural relic and scenic spot. To meet the religious needs of the people of Ben Sung town in particular and the people in the district in general, in 2008, with local budget and philanthropists, Khe Rong temple was renovated and embellished according to traditional architecture with the following architectural scale: gate, temple, main temple and guest house. The worship system includes: forbidden palace, central hall, front hall".

Khe Rong Temple is a place for spiritual and cultural activities of local people and tourists. Since being recognized as a provincial historical, cultural and scenic relic, the People's Committee of Ben Sung town, the management board of Khe Rong Temple relic and local people have done a good job of preserving and restoring the relic, promoting the value of the historical, cultural and scenic relic at the provincial level.

Every year, on the 1st day of the 3rd lunar month, the people of Ben Sung town enthusiastically organize the Khe Rong Temple Ball Procession Festival. The festival is held with traditional rituals and performances, such as: sacred dance, spirit mediumship, and singing. The Khe Rong Temple Ball Procession Festival is an opportunity for people and tourists to come and offer incense, visit the landscape, and pray for favorable weather, national peace, and bountiful harvests...

Article and photos: Khac Cong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/linh-thieng-den-khe-rong-246789.htm